


backhanding the night

by redevenait



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, girls being cute on a beach, that's it that's the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-26
Updated: 2013-04-26
Packaged: 2017-12-09 14:09:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/775093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redevenait/pseuds/redevenait
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cosette had found out about the beautiful sunrise that could be seen from the beach, and after much persuasion she’d convinced Éponine to join her to watch it.<br/>Only now it didn’t seem like Éponine would be awake long enough to appreciate it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	backhanding the night

Cosette looked over at the girl sitting next to her on the sand. Éponine’s legs were drawn up to her chest and her chin rested on her folded arms. She smiled sleepily when she caught Cosette’s eye.

“I don’t know if I can stay awake for this, Cosette,” she told her ruefully. “I haven’t woken up this early since I was a kid.”

Two weeks earlier, on a whim, the two girls had driven south together and travelled between seaside towns until they’d found this one. The town itself wasn’t anything special, although its welcoming hotel and bakery added a certain charm, but it was this beach that had made them stay there. Through chatting with the owner of their hotel, Cosette had found out about the beautiful sunrise that could be seen from the beach, and after much persuasion she’d convinced Éponine to join her to watch it.

Only now it didn’t seem like Éponine would be awake long enough to appreciate it.

“C’mon, ‘Ponine,” she said softly, shifting herself until she was sitting arm-to-arm with the other girl. “Pierre said it was _breath-taking_.”

“But I could be sleep-making,” Éponine whined. Cosette poked her, trying not to grin at the terrible pun. Éponine’s sense of humour always descended a few levels of intelligence when she was tired.

Cosette rested her forehead on Éponine’s shoulder briefly before pressing a kiss to the soft skin through. _“Please?”_

Éponine huffed and pretended to look reluctant, but Cosette knew she’d won. She had never really been in any doubt that Éponine would stay awake to watch the sunrise. She was supposedly the romantic one in their relationship, but she knew Éponine’s weakness for beauty like this. And her. She knew Éponine’s weakness for her, too.

She felt a hand pulling her down and lay back with Éponine, the two girls curling into each other in the sand, their long hair fluttering gently in the wind. Long fingers trailed their way up and down Cosette’s arm and she didn’t have to look to know that Éponine was writing ‘I love you I love you I love you.’

They lay together for what could have been hours, although they knew it was only minutes. Éponine was almost asleep when she became aware that the beach was a little lighter, and Cosette’s hair had dancing gold in it. “Cosette,” she said quietly, poking the girl in the cheek affectionately. Cosette moaned something that sounded a lot like ‘blueberries’ and batted a hand as if to fight off the poking. Éponine rolled her eyes. Sometimes she wondered if Cosette really did have an off-switch, because she could sleep anywhere, any time. “Cosette, the sun is rising.”

The words had a slightly delayed effect. Cosette lay still for three more seconds before sitting up so fast that Éponine had to lean back quickly in order not to be hit in the face. “Did I miss it?” Cosette gasped, putting a hand to her eyes and reeling. Éponine took her hand and waited until she’d shaken her head and opened her eyes properly, head rush over.

“No,” she told Cosette and gestured at the skyline.

The horizon was glowing orange and pink. It had a strange glowing effect on the water, as if the sea had a heart somewhere below the surface that had just starting beating.

The girls were entranced. Cosette’s grip on Éponine’s hand tightened as she gazed ahead for as long as she could stand the light in her eyes, before turning again to look at Éponine. the other girl had stopped watching the sunrise to admire the way Cosette looked framed in warm orange light and she flushed a little at being caught staring. Cosette smiled and leaned into her, kissing her lips and sliding an arm around her waist.

The sun was high in the sky now, and Éponine could see some other couples who’d had the same idea as them, now. They were dotted around the beach, some sitting, some standing. It made her smile. She’d never been in a place so beautiful, with a girl so beautiful. She couldn’t quite recall ever having felt so peaceful.

Cosette understood the look of serenity that Éponine wore; she’d felt it many times in her pursuit of beauty. She was pleased to see it on one usually so tumultuous. She loved Éponine, loved her animation, her anger, her fire, and she could match her any day for in a furious debate. But she cherished the little moments, interludes from their lives like this, when they both could appreciate the simple happiness of being together.

She felt as if the sunrise had soaked her soul in warmth, and, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek, she told Éponine as much. Éponine laughed softly, pulling her closer. “You should start a poetry group with Jehan,” she told Cosette as they leaned back together until they were laying on the sand once more, Cosette half on top of Éponine and their legs and fingers interwoven.

“I’d dedicate every poem to you,” Cosette replied and Éponine smiled at the cliché.

“You’d better,” she told her. “No running off with Jehan.”

“Never,” promised Cosette, with so much sincerity that Éponine kissed her instinctively. For a while, Cosette played absent-mindedly with a strand of Éponine’s hair. Éponine was just considering whether or not to go to sleep right there in the morning sun when she heard Cosette whisper something.

“What?”

“Thank you for coming to see the sunrise.”

Éponine opened her eyes and Cosette smiled at her sweetly. She felt a little clench in her stomach at being the person to receive that smile.

“I love you,” she replied.

“I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> this drabble happened completely by accident. put it down to my endless feelings about les mis and how much i want them to be HAPPY.
> 
> the title is from ‘Hour’ by Carol Ann Duffy, which didn’t inspire this fic but has so much the same sentiment it may as well have. 
> 
> i’m sorry for any out-of-character moments. i’ve not yet fully got to grips with these characters. it might possibly become part of a series i don't know yet.
> 
> thank you for reading!!


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